Introducing Get To Know… Squid

Meet the supremely exciting Brighton bunch in our new interview.

30th August 2018

Hello and welcome to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… With two new acts a week, the feature pretty much does what it says on the tin: getting you a little bit closer to the buzziest new acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.

We recently spoke to London trip jam trio Peluché, Australian psych band Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and country-tinged singer-songwriter Jade Bird. Next up, it’s Squid!

Firing themselves up the list of the buzziest new bands around with electrifying new single ‘The Dial’ - released on Dan Carey’s Speedy Wunderground label, FYI - the band team the chunky dance-punk of the mid-’00s with the hyperactive sting of Foals’ earliest recordings to make something that brings genres and styles together forcefully and fantastically.

Listen to ‘The Dial’ and get to know the band in our interview below.

Describe your music to us in the form of a Tinder bio.

8 minute songs and a stamina to match.

What’s your earliest musical memory?

Anton: The first memory of us working together to make music was Ollie and I awkwardly meeting for the first time in Louis’ bedroom in Kemptown to mess about with some instruments and laptops.

Ollie: You were very grumpy Anton, not a good first impression.

Louis: I was disappointed and couldn’t envisage a second hangout.

Anton: Arthur and I were also in a funk covers band around the same time. It wasn’t until we played our first gig as a four a few months later that we realised it was the sort of thing we wanted to keep doing together. We knew there was a lot of development needed musically to make something our own but luckily the lovely Laurie joined us a year after and steered us with his trumpet.)

Who were some artists that inspired you when you were just starting out (and why)?

Anton: When we were first collaborating we all in love with a lot of German bands like NEU!, Can etc. I remember us listening to a lot of Esbjorn Svensson and ECM type stuff along with a bunch of ‘ambient’ and post-rock artists, really just a load of instrumental stuff too.

Louis: Unintentionally I think, we started taking more from the current music around us and putting it into our own writing. This seemed to give our set a much higher energy which felt really good - or maybe it’s just that we started standing up on stage. Right now we’re especially loving Baxter Dury, Black Midi, DUDS, Tirzah.

You’re based in Brighton and London - do you feel like there are strong scenes in the cities at the moment? Are there other artists breaking through at the same time that you take inspiration from?

Totally! Seems like London is producing a new hot band every minute. It’s just cool to be on the fringes of exciting and diverse musical goings on in London. It is a big city but all these bands operate in a very inclusive way which is really great, and you’ll see a lot of the same faces whether you’re South or North of the river. In terms of Brighton, it seems like everyone has flown the nest somewhat, but there was always lots going on when we all lived there.

Bands like The Glugg, Leatherhead, Sealings, The Snivellers, Space Cowboys and Garden Centre (I’m sure I’m missing more) were always supportive of whatever was going on and are all such firmly grounded and nice people. We’re also really looking forward to the new Porridge Radio album. It’s being recorded with MJ from Hookworms and I’ve heard the working title is ‘Daddy’.

Who is your dream collaborator and why?

Brian Eno (Terrifying Haircut/Roxy Music/Devo Era). Louis works at the RA and met him and completely froze up in awe last week. The more you look at music from 1973 onwards, you realise how central and varied Eno’s work and collaborations have been. His idea of music’s complexity growing out of simplicity is something that resonates with us. And maybe explains extremely repetitive jamming resulting in complex disagreements.

Musically or otherwise, what are you most looking forward to in 2018?

Playing more gigs, making more mates, getting more ardent fans and hopefully making a bit of CASH. Age of Empires 4 is coming out soon as well… But you’re gonna need some serious RAM to play that!